Air-circulating device



May 6, 1924. 1,492,890

W. MlLLER-PEACOCK AIR CIRCULATING DEVICE Filed Sent; 18, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 6', 1924. 1,492,890

, W. MILLER-PEACOCK AIR CIRCULATING DEVICE Filed Sept. 18 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wei/fer Mllerw eacack.

May 6, 1924. 1,492,890

W. MlLLER-PEACOCK AIR CIRCULATING DEVICE Filed Sent. 18 1922 .3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented May 6; 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT on on. 1

WALTER MILLER-PEACOGK, OF SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA.

AIR-CIRCULATING DEVICE.

Application filed September is, 1922. Serial No. 588,923.

and useful Improvement in an Air-Circu lating Device, of which the followingis a specification. I v My invention relates to improvements in air circulating devices wherein a plurality of pivotally mounted punkas are connected by a common connectionv to an actuating means arranged to impart an oscillating movement thereto. V '7 I The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved air circulating device. Another object is to provide an improved device arranged to be actuated to cause circulation of air in various portions of anen closure with a minimum consumption of power. 7

A further object is to provide an improved means for connecting a plurality of punkas to a'common driving means for imparting a uniform oscillating movement to the punkas by means of a single connection.

A further object is to provide an im proved clamp connecting an actuating member to a punka and arranged to compensate for the vertical displacement of-the punka when an oscillating movement is imparted thereto. c

A still further object is to provide a device of the character described of a simple and rugged construction which may be installed and operated at a low cost and which may be readily adjusted to meet any particular condition or requirement. 1 V r I accomplish these andothenobjects by means of the device disclosed in the drawings forming a part of the present specification wherein like characters of reference are used to designate similar parts throughout said specification and drawings, and .in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the manner in which my improved device is mounted within a room.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the actuat in means.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the actuating means.

Fig. 4 is a broken'front elevation of my improved punka.

Fig. 5 is a broken side elevation of the punka, the normal suspended positionbeing shown full lines, and the displacement during oscillation being shown'in dotted lines.

Fig. ,6 is ahorizontal section of the punka and my improved clamp as connected thereto,, the section being taken upon the line 6 60f Fig.4. a

Fig. 7 is a broken sectional detail taken upon the line 7-7 of Fig. 4, showing the construction of the punka and, frame. Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings the numeral 1 is used to designatein general each of a' plurality of punkas pivotallymounted within a room by means of suit able bearings 2 secured upon the ceiling of said room. The punkas 1 are arranged to be actuated simultaneously by a common flexible connection 3 guided to the several punkas over suitable pulleys 4 from a suitable actuatingmeans 6 mounted at any convenient pointrelatively remote from the punkas. g

; The punkas consist preferably of upper and lower rods 7 and 8 slotted upon theirfadjacent sides to receive sections 9 and 11 of heavy cardboard or other suitable material inserted therebetween'. The inner edges of the sections 9 and 11 abut againsta pairof parallel spaced guides 12 secured between the: rods 7 and 8 at their. approximate centers. [Side members 14 are secure-dagain'st the outer ends of the rods 7 and 8 by screws or other suitable securing'means, said side members serving to retain the sections 9 and 11 in position between the bars. The punkas are pivotallymounted upon a desired support by means 'of the bearings 2 engaging apertures in'the outer ends of extensions formedupon the side members 14 and carried by suitable'mountings 17.

A carriage 18 consisting of a pair of spaced channel members is slidably mounted between the guides 12 of each punka. The

channel members are apertured to receive bushings 19 arranged to receive'laterally extending pins 21 carried uponfthe opposite sides of a tubular member 22 whereby said member 22 is pivotally mounted upon the carriage. The connection 3 is through the tubular members and is firmly clamped in connection therewith by means of caps 23 threaded onto the endsrof each tubular member and arranged to press tapered members 24 against the connectionB 110 when said caps are tightened against the outer ends of the members 24 as best shown passed in Fig. 6 of the drawings. In this manner a sliding and a pivotal movement between the punka and the connection 3 is provided to compensate for vertical displacement of the punka when oscillated in a manner hereinafter described.

The connection 3 is carried by the guide pulleys 4 secured upon the walls or other suitable supports in such positions as to guide the connection from the actuating means 6 to the several punkas successively. The punkas may be positioned in any de' sired portions of an enclosure and need not be restricted to a singleroom but may be positioned throughout a series of rooms, and

the connection 3 guided thereto in any suitable manner.

A reciprocating movement is imparted to the connection by the actuating means 6 so as to impart an oscillating movement to the punkas, the amount of lineal movement of the connection 3 being adapted to swing the punkas through the desired arc to effect the required displacement of air.

The actuating means may be of any suitable construction adapted to receive the connection 3 and. move the same through the desired distance. However, I prefer to use an actuating means of a character adapted to impart a true harmonic oscillating movement to the punkas. This is most readily and efiiciently accomplished by the arrange ment shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings wherein a pair of slidably mounted racks 26, carried upon guides 27, are reciprocated by means of a power driven worm gear 28 directly connected to the racks in such manner that rotation of the worm gear will impart a true harmonic movement to the racks. The racks are mounted in meshing relation with gears 29 secured upon a drive shaft 31 upon which is secured a pulley 32 adapted to receive the connection 3. The harmonic reciprocating movement of the racks causes a corresponding harmonic oscillating movement of the gears 29, and pulley 32, and theconnection 3 and punkas actuated thereby in the manner described. The actuating means is constructed and operated in a manner substantially the same as the actuating means disclosed .in my copending application, Serial No. 57 7 ,222, filed July 17th, 1922. As the mechanism is fully described in the application referred to, and the structure therein described forms no part of the present invention a detailed description is omitted heretrom'. In this connection it is sufiicient to state then in the arrangementherein shown, the actuating means 6 is mounted upon any suitable support in a secluded portion of the enclosure and that connection to the punkas'is eflectedby the flexible connection 3rather than by direct connection upon the drive shaft as in the previous application.

to present an attractive appearance.

The speed at which the punkas are oscillated and the distance through which they are moved depends upon the relative sizes of the worm gear 28, the gears 29 and the pulley 32. These sizes are designed to meet the requirement of any particular installation and may be subsequently varied by a substitution of a larger or a smaller part for any of the parts named.

The connection 3 may be made of an suitable material alfording sufficient fleXibi ity to permit it to be carried over the several guide pulleys 4 to the punkas 1. The connection is passed over the pulley 32 and threaded through the several guide pulleys and the clamps of the punkas and the ends secured together to form a continuous connection, the clamp members 24 being tightened onto the connection 3 after said connection 3 has been stretched tight. clamps are secured to such a position as to cause the punka to move equal distances upon opposite sides of a normal pendant position. Slack in the connection due to stretching or other causes is taken up at the connections, the clamps being loosened and retightened upon the connection in a position compensating for the amount of slack taken up, such adjustment being readily accomplished by loosening the caps 23 and retightening in the new position.

WVhen the connection 3 is reciprocated the punkas will be caused to oscillate with a harmonic movement as above described. The sliding and pivotal connection of the clamps upon the guides 12 of the punkas permit the necessary pivotal movement of the punka without carrying the connection 3 out of alignment as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. In order to prevent any sagging of the connection due to its own weight and the weight of the carriages 18 and the clamps carried thereby, a light spring 33 is connected between the top of each carriage and the upper rod 7 of the punka, said springs being made only strong enough to support the weight of the members mentioned without offering excessive resistance to the displacement of the carriage when the punka is swungto its extreme positions.

, From the above description it will be readily seen that va plurality ofpunkas may be actuated in'relatively widely separated portions of an enclosure by means of a single actuating device. A single motor may thus be utilized for actuating many punkas, and as the construction is made as light as the necessary. strength required will permit, very little power will be consumed and the operating expense will be reduced to a minimum. The punkas may be made of any desired decorative design and finish and the connection 3 and its guides 4 made to blend with the decorations and furnishing of a room y placing the punkas in various portions of the room a uniform circulation of air is readily accomplished. The actual construction and arrangement of the several parts are, of course, subject to modification in many ways without departing from the spirit of my invention. I, therefore, do not desire to restrict myself to the precise constructions shown but wish to avail myself of all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An air circulating device comprising a plurality of pivotally mounted punkas; actuating means mounted at a point apart from the punkas; and a flexible connection slidably engaging the punkas and connected to the actuating means for imparting an oscillating movement to said punkas.

2. An air circulating device comprising a plurality of pivotally mounted punkas; actuating means mounted at a point apart from the punkas; a flexible cable connected to and actuated by the actuating means; and clamps slidably and pivotally mounted upon the punkas and arranged to engage the cable for imparting an oscillating movement to said punkas.

3. An air circulating device comprising a plurality of pivotally mounted punkas; power driven actuating means mounted at a point apart from the punkas; a flexible cable driven by the actuating means; means of the punkas; means for guiding the cable between the actuating means and the punkas; and means for pivotally and slidably connecting said cable with each of the punkas for imparting an oscillating movement thereto. 7 v

5. In an air circulating device, a pivotally mounted punka guide means mounted upon the punka; and a clamp movably engaging the guide means and secured upon an actuating cable for oscillating the punka.

6. In an air circulating device, the combination with a punka, of a pair of guides mounted thereon; a carriage slidably mount-' ed upon the guides; a clamp pivotally mounted upon the carriage and arranged to engage an actuating cable; and extendible means for normally supporting the weight of the carriage, a clamp, and cable upon the punka.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my signature.

WALTER MILLER-PEAGOCK. 

